Delanie Walker On Free Agency, Comeback

Delanie Walker sat out the 2020 season, and he played in only eight games between 2018-19 due to injuries. But the veteran tight end is intent on coming back for the 2021 campaign, despite the fact that he’ll turn 37 in August.

Appearing on a recent episode of Turron Davenport’s podcast, Walker peeled back the curtain on the process and his hopes for his comeback, via Grant Gordon of NFL.com. He had a workout with the 49ers about a month ago, but nothing came of it. “Right now, I couldn’t tell you who I will be playing for or what teams are looking at me,” Walker said. “They talk to me, but at the end of the day, I feel like they think the ankle is a problem and my age. Teams are really not trying to give me a good deal, I feel like.”

Walker said he feels good physically, although he did admit he can’t say for sure how he’d hold up to contact. “I feel like the same Delanie Walker two years ago. But again, you know, I’m a realist. I won’t sit here and be like, ‘Oh, shoot, I can out there and play.’ I can go out there and play, but would I take a hit, would that be a problem? I do not know. I think that’s a concern teams have.” He did add “I feel like the ankle will hold up.”

For now he said he’s just focused on keeping in great shape, and he expressed confidence that he’ll get his opportunity in training camp. “I know that opportunity gonna come where someone’s gonna need a tight end for training camp. And that’s where my opportunity’s gonna come.”

As for a potential landing spot, he unsurprisingly wants to go to a winner. “I feel like I need to get a Super Bowl ring, so my objective is really to try to go to a team that’s a contender. But it is the NFL, you never know what team can be a contender, so my options are open.” 

We heard the Patriots and Ravens were interested last August before he elected to sit out the season and heal up. New England is probably set at tight end after adding Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith this offseason, but perhaps Baltimore could still be interested as an option behind Mark Andrews. It’s been a few years now, but Walker was a Pro Bowler in three straight seasons from 2015-17.d

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